


call it a day

by OnyxSphinx



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Domesticity, F/F, Female Newton Geiszler/Female Hermann Gottlieb, Fluff, Lesbian Hermann Gottlieb, Sleep Deprivation, hermann needs to sleep ffs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23045482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxSphinx/pseuds/OnyxSphinx
Summary: Hermann Gottlieb doesn't havethebest sleep hygiene. To be fair, she's trying to help save the world. Newt's there to help, though, so it's alright.
Relationships: Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb
Kudos: 21





	call it a day

**Author's Note:**

> hello i'm here to deliver more lesbian hermann gottlieb content, now with a side of sleep deprivation and fluff

Hermann wakes to the screech of her alarm; the sunlight filtering in sharply through the windows. Her head hurts—no wonder, really, given she’s slept—she checks her alarm after managing to turn it off—barely two hours.

She sighs. The work had to be done, of course, but her head’s aching from the exhaustion, and she’s only been awake a few minutes. For a moment, she wavers; considers crawling back into bed, and then remembers that she has a meeting.

God. What she wouldn’t give for the war to end.

Ah, well; there’s nothing to be done for it now. The meeting is in an hour—and she has more work before then, and has to get the presentations she’s giving a final check. She sighs and moves to get dressed, slower than usual; her fine motor skills are slightly impaired by the weight of tiredness, but she manages it eventually; pulls on a pair of trousers and then, when she shivers, suddenly struck with a chill, a sweater.

Newton’s puttering around in the lab when she gets in—humming happily as she dissects a new kaiju tissue sample they received in the shipment a few days ago. She waves a distracted hello to Hermann as she comes in, and goes back to speaking into her recorder; words rapid-fire and tone excited. She must have discovered something new, or confirmed a theory.

Hermann rolls her eyes fondly. Newton’s enthusiasm and commitment to her work is admirable and, at times, absolutely adorable, and this one falls into both categories.

The presentation is all up to par when she checks it, thankfully—all she has to do is re-centre some titles, and she can do that sitting down, for which she’s very thankful; standing for long periods at the moment sounds like an absolutely detestable prospect.

“You going to the meeting?” Newton asks, as she gets ready to leave; looking up from her work for the first time in the past half-hour.

Hermann nods; shuts her computer down and pockets the thumbdrive with the file on it. “It starts in fifteen minutes,” she says.

“Sweet,” Newton grins, and snaps her gloves off, tossing them with deft precision into the rubbish-bin. “I’m done with this for now, so I’ll tag along—if, uh, you don’t mind, I mean.” She gives a sheepish laugh, and Hermann stands; nearly lurching, a moment later, when her vision darkens around the edges, catching herself just in time.

“…of course not,” Hermann says, after a moment, remembering how to speak; and blinks, scrubbing her eyes. “Sorry—shall we?”

Newton frowns at her, but thankfully doesn’t press the issue. “Alright,” she says, and they fall into an easy rhythm as they walk towards the board room.

The biologist takes a seat in the back—she’s pulled out a chair and wedged it into a discreet corner, promising Hermann she won’t interrupt—, and checks her watch. “Five minutes to go,” she says, “good luck, Hermann.”

Hermann huffs softly; moves in front of the projector. “Thank you, darling,” she murmurs, “I suspect I’ll need it, today.”

The meeting goes fine, thank God; because that’s the only explanation she can think of, given that she starts blacking out a total of five times over the course of the presentation, throat dry, and forcing herself to keep speaking, hoping that the slides she’s referencing are the ones that are actually showing.

After the PPDC officials shake her hand and tell her they’ll consider her request for more funds, and file out, Newton rises from her seat. “Dude,” she says, “are you okay?”

“Fine,” Hermann says, curtly, and digs her fingernails into her palm in an attempt to ward off the black creeping in around the edges. Newton frowns at her; hands fluttering at her sides for a moment before they come up, one to Hermann’s shoulder and the other to her face.

“Herms,” she murmurs, “I can practically feel your exhaustion. Did you get any sleep last night?”

“…yes,” Hermann says, after a pause. “I just…had work.”

The other sighs at her. “Dude,” she says, “c'mon. Let’s call it a day and get you into bed.”

“But—”

“If you say you have work one more time, I swear to god, I’ll smack you,” Newton threatens; hollowly, but the fierceness of her gaze cows Hermann just a bit; the emotion and—God, the caring—there nearly enough to bowl her over; make her feel guilty for worrying the other. “Dude, please. I’ll take care of your stuff in the lab and get it tidied up, just. Let me—let me make sure you’re okay, alright?”

Hermann swallows; thickly. “Alright,” she says, after a moment; the words quiet.

Newton’s eyes flicker shut for a moment; relief written clear across her face, and then she says, “Good. Let’s get you to bed.”

She has to half-lean on Newton on the way back; exhaustion is weighing her down, even heavier than earlier; a four-hour presentation was, in retrospect, not the best thing to do on only two hours of sleep. Newton’s good about it, though, readjusts her grip to better support her.

When they get to her door, Newton pats her down until she finds her keys and then unlocks the door; herds Hermann inside. “Bed,” she says, “now.”

“I’m still wearing my clothing,” Hermann protests.

Newton gives her an unimpressed look. “Bed,” she says, “I’ll grab you a pair of pjs and you can change sitting down.”

“…fine,” Hermann says, aiming for grudging but ending up squarely in an exhausted drawl.

True to her word, Newton does get her a change of nightclothes, and helps Hermann work the buttons on them—at the moment, her fingers aren’t cooperating terribly, and she appreciates the help; tells Newton so, moments later.

The other gives her a soft smile. “‘course,” she says, and presses a palm to Hermann’s chest, pushing her slowly, gently, towards the bed. “Now, close your eyes and go to sleep.”

“Will you—?” Hermann asks, tentatively; suddenly worried, the sensation jolting her for a moment, back to lucidity.

“Yes,” Newton says, settling down beside her. “Now: sleep.”

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me at [autisticharrow](https://autisticharrow.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


End file.
